grieve

To cause sorrow or distress to.

Noun

  1. A governor of a town or province.
  2. A manager or steward, e.g. of a farm.
    • 1559-1566, John Knox, History of the Reformation in Scotland [A prince] is nothing but a servant, overseer, or grieve, and not the head, which is a title belonging only to Christ.
    • [T]heir children were horsewhipped by the grieve when found trespassing; […] - 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], chapter VII, in Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co....

Origin

From Middle English greve, greyve, grave, grafe, from Old Norse greifi, from Middle Low German grēve, grâve, related to Old English grœfa, groefa, variants of Old English ġerēfa (“steward, reeve”). More at reeve.

Forms

grieves

Derived

grieveship

Verb

  1. To cause sorrow or distress to.
    • Thy maidens griev'd themselves at my concern. - 1782, William Cowper, “On the Receipt of my Mother’s Picture”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC:

    Synonyms: sadden upset aggrieve attrist begloom begrieve besorrow grieve pain bring down come down on contristate darken dash deject depress desolate dispirit engrieve forset get down grieven moan oppress

  2. To feel very sad about; to mourn; to sorrow for.
    • to grieve one's fate

    Synonyms: bewail lament afterthink becry begrieve bemoan bemourn beweep condole deplore elegize grieve grieven keen mean mourn pine repent sigh sorrow wail wayment

  3. To experience grief.

    Synonyms: besorrow regret aggrieve condole darken engrieve erme gloom grieve grieven bleed lament moan mourn remorse repent rue sigh sorrow wayment yearn

  4. To harm.

    Synonyms: injure wound abuse annoy bewound damage damnify dere do damage to do for do ill do violence to forwork grieve harm harrow hurt maul misdo put someone in hospital scaith scathe vulnerate wet

  5. To submit or file a grievance (about).
    • Even if the executive director rules against the employee on appeal, the employee can still grieve the termination to the superintendent followed by an appeal to the … Board of Trustees. - 2009, D'Amico, Rob (editor),...

Origin

From Middle English greven, from Old French grever (“to burden”), from Latin gravō, gravāre, from adjective gravis (“grave”). For the meaning development compare Russian тяготи́ть (tjagotítʹ, “to be a burden (on), to oppress”), Russian тужи́ть (tužítʹ, “to experience grief”), related to тяжёлый (tjažólyj, “heavy, grave”), тя́жкий (tjážkij).

Forms

grieves grieving grieved

Related

grief grievance grievous

Derived

begrieve engrieve grievable grieved grieven griever grievesome grievingly grievor misgrieve un-grieve ungrieve ungrieving